Falling Rocks ET fanfic
by mab2184
Summary: Summary is in chapter 1 beginning. Ethan/Theresa story
1. Chapter 1

**Story summary:** It is summertime in Harmony. Theresa is just returning from college for the summer. Her history with Ethan is short. Basically, after spilling paint on him at the carnival and later realizing that he was _THE_ Ethan Crane that she had a huge crush on, and he now hated her guts and even thought of her as a stalker, she actually listened to her mother (shocking, I know) and decided not to work for Ivy at the Cranes. So, even though she still felt fated to him, she decided to move on and live her life (also shocking, I know), especially, when she also realized that he had a serious girlfriend. So, she finished high school, got accepted at Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York, and is majoring in Fashion Design. She just finished her freshman year and is returning to Harmony after being away for almost the whole year. Oh, she also got a boyfriend. White boy from New York. He's cute but there are issues…

Ethan? Read the story to find out what's going on with him.

Whitney?- Whitney has started training for competitive tennis. She's got a coach besides her dad who can actually take her far! So, she lives in LA, but is also going to come to Harmony to see Theresa. And, the coach has a nephew who's taken a liking to Whitney but also has his own baggage on the side (Chad!) He's going to accompany Whitney to LA to see her hometown.

Ok, enough background. Enjoy!

Oh, almost forgot, haha- Gwen—she's not in my story and mentioned like once. Just don't care.

**Chapter 1: Boyfriend. **

It was the last day of finals. Theresa was busy packing her clothes, anxious to get home when Chris, her boyfriend, walked into her dorm, as usual.

Chris- "Hey Baby!"

"Heyy" Theresa wrapped her arms around him and gave him a kiss in excitement. "Baby, I am soo glad that school is over, I cannot _wait _to get home."

Chris- "Haha, I can see that. Your eyes are about to pop out right now. They only get this big when you're super excited."

"And I am!" Theresa jumped up in the air and squealed like a little girl. "My best friend, Whitney, who I'm always telling you about-"

Chris- "How can I forget about Whitney. I feel like she's my girlfriend too. I know her almost as well as I know you. I have skyped with her several times because you make me talk to her every time I find you two chatting. Yeah, I know Whitney."

Theresa laughed. "Well, yeah, she's coming home for the summer too, so we get to hang out like old times! I've just missed everyone so much, you know what I mean? I mean, it's different for you cos your home and your family is here."

Chris- "Yeah, and I wish sometimes that I was far, far away. But you know what they say. Grass is always greener on the other side."

Theresa- "Yeah, or absence makes the heart grow fonder, cos I never knew I would miss Harmony this much. Anyway, you came to help me pack?!"

"Um…actually…" Chris moved his hand through his wavy brown hair and took out a couple of red packets from his pocket. "I was hoping to spend some alone time with you before you leave, and to show you this…"

Theresa-"What's that? Candy?"

Chris burst out laughing nervously. "You're kidding right?"

Theresa shrugged. "Well, it looks like candy. What is it?" She turned her attention back to her packing.

Chris had an uncomfortable look on his face as he stood there for a few seconds before awkwardly answering the question. "These are condoms, Theresa."

At the mention of condoms, Theresa almost burst out laughing. She thought maybe she hadn't heard right. "Wait, WHAT?!" she spun around, looking directly at Chris, who had started to sweat in discomfort at the awkward situation that he had just created between them.

"Um, they're condoms. I- I was hoping, Baby, that we could spend some time together, before you leave."

"What?! Chris-" Theresa couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Look, Re, I know we spoke about this. And you told me you weren't ready, But that was months ago! You know, we were just getting to know each other, and we hadn't been together for that long. But, now, we're pretty much inseparable- I mean, we've shared really good moments- and I love you. I have told you that several times. I love you, and we're not going to be seeing each other for a while. Baby, I just wanna spend some time with you before you leave. Please."

Theresa didn't know what to say. Had she seen this moment coming? Not at all. When she had told Chris that she definitely wasn't ready for sex, and that she had always liked the idea of not having sex until marriage both because of her religion and because of a promise she had made to her Mama, he had supported her decision and told her that it wasn't a big deal. He told her that sex could always wait in a relationship. What mattered was loving each other, and showing each other love as a couple which didn't have to include sex. He had told her that he cared about her, and that she didn't need to have sex with him if she didn't want to at this point. And just as Theresa had gotten used to her belief that she had the best boyfriend in the world, here he was, pressuring her to sleep with him.

"Chris, I already told you, that I don't plan to do this until my wedding night."

"Re, I thought you weren't really serious with that. I mean, you don't really expect to wait until your wedding to have sex do you? Come on Baby, let's, let's be together now."

Chris started moving closer to her. Theresa felt her heart pounding in alarm as he inched closer and closer. He was tall with strong, visible muscles. These were part of what had attracted him to her, along with what she had thought was his kind, understanding personality, but she definitely wasn't so into him to the point of losing her virginity to him. Especially not at the moment that she was just about to return home. The guilt of what she had done would be hanging over her every time she would see her Mama.

"Chris, I can't. I'm sorry but what I said before still stands. I don't plan to have sex until marriage. If you're not fine with that, then let me know. But please, I can't do this right now."

"Baby, don't say that-"

"Oh my God." Theresa said alarmed. Chris was now holding on tightly to her arms and looking deep into her eyes.

"I want you Baby."

"Well, I don't want this!" Theresa stated firmly, her insides filling with dread and a little bit of fear.

"Please, let's just try. You'll like it, you'll see."

"Oh my God, Chris, what the heck has gotten into you?!" Theresa screamed as she tried to get away from his tight grip.

But Chris wouldn't let go! "Re, please, I want you." He started lowering her to her bed, forcefully, and kissing her all over her neck, and her lips. "I need you Baby," he kept whispering. "Please, let's just try this."

"NO!" Theresa was now panicking. She knew he was strong, but she hadn't realized how strong he was. She could feel pain and swelling on the parts of her hands that he was holding tightly onto. "Chris, my God, please LET ME GO!" She started fighting back hard now.

"Re, why are you making this so hard?!" Chris snapped as he shot her a frustrated, angry look, but still holding on tightly to her so she couldn't escape. "Look, I'm trying to make this as easy as I can OK? What the hell did you expect anyway? Did you really expect us to be together for _this long_ and me not _want _you?! You're so beautiful, inside and out, and I LOVE you. Why would you even want a boyfriend that didn't WANT you? I actually want to be with you. And I have never cheated on you. I just WANT you! That's a good thing, in case you missed the memo on Relationships 101."

"Well, I don't WANT this!" Theresa shot back. She wasn't one to shut up and give in, in any situation, especially when she felt that she was being taken advantage of. She had always been a fighter. "I don't want this, ok, Chris! I don't WANT you! So, please let me go now, before I start screaming rape!"

At the mention of rape, Chris had a look of shock mixed with fear in his eyes. "You've_ got_ to be kidding me." He muttered staring wide-eyed at her. "You've got this all wrong, Baby. There is no way in hell that I'm trying to rape you right now. That's not my intention AT ALL."

"Well, it feels like it, especially since you won't let me go! Can you let go of me?!"

Chris immediately let go of her and also stepped back from her. "Baby, I'm sorry if you thought I was trying to rape you. I…that's not what I was trying to do."

"Just go Chris." Theresa whispered as she looked down at the floor with tears filling in her eyes. All she wanted was just to be at home with her family, and wrapped in her favorite blanket. She couldn't believe that Chris had actually tried to rape her! The boy that she had thought was literally perfect because he had accepted her decision not to have sex so well before, and held her every time that she was feeling upset until she felt better simply because she was in his big, strong arms… The boy who woke her up every morning with a phone call or text message telling her how beautiful she was… She just couldn't believe it. And for as much as she had cared for him, she knew that, from that point on, there was no way their relationship would ever be the same. How could it, when she now knew what he was capable of? How could she be so sure, if she stayed with him, and forgave him, that he wouldn't try to "rape" her again at another time when her guard was down?

"Resa, you've got to forgive me. Please, I'm so sorry-"

"Leave Chris! I can't talk about this right now! Can you just leave?!"

She looked at him with a deadly serious look in her eyes. At that point, Chris knew it was time to bounce.

The second the door shut, Theresa immediately felt sick to her stomach. She felt like throwing up but nothing seemed to want to come out. Her hands shaking, she instinctively picked up her phone and dialed Whitney's number, but the call went straight to voicemail.

"Noo," she whispered as more tears continued to roll down her eyes like rapid streams of water. She didn't want to cry. She just wanted to talk to somebody. Someone that she could trust. Someone who could just make sense of everything that had happened to what she thought had been her perfect life and just tell her with confidence that everything would be ok. But Whitney wasn't picking up her call. And she couldn't call her Mama.

So, the tears continued to flow until she couldn't help but start crying out loud. "Oh God," she whispered as more tears flowed. "Oh God, why?" She found herself praying. "Why God?" She sniffed as she cried some more.

She continued to glance through her contacts, desperate to find anyone that she could really talk to. And that is when she saw the name: **Cranes**. She had seen this contact numerous times and rushed past it, but for some reason, it now captured her attention in a way that it hadn't for a few years. She had stored that number on her phone when she had thought she was going to be working for the Cranes, and specifically, for Ivy Crane. That was almost two years ago. The number now held her attention not because of Ivy Crane. _But because of someone else_. Someone who still appeared in her dreams, even though she tried never to think of him, or to look him up on the internet and find out how he was doing, or worse, cut up his pictures from magazines like she used to do back in the day.

After all, she was pretty sure, that he still hated her. She had spilled paint, fish guts, and God knows what else on him simply because she literally went crazy every time she had seen him in person. And because of this, he had thought of her as a crazy stalker! That had definitely kept what she now considered to be her foolish, childish dreams of living happily ever after in a mansion with Ethan Crane short. But what hadn't been cut short were her feelings for him. Feelings which she had come to realize in the two years that she had stopped being obsessed with him were definitely a lot more than a simple teenage crush. It was like she was tied to him in some mysterious, supernatural way. As corny as it sounded, that was the only way that she now realized that she could describe how she felt.

Even though, she hadn't seen Ethan Crane in years, and barely thought about him, a simple thought of him, or the mention of his name, was enough to give her goosebumps. She would feel warm inside, along with this strong sense that he was nearby, that she could feel his presence and that they were linked in some way. In terms of the physical, it was his eyes that she had always been drawn to. In all the pictures of him, she had never tired of looking at his brilliant, crystal-blue eyes. They always looked so warm and gentle. And his smile…he was beautiful, and she definitely could have easily fallen in love with him had she gotten a chance to know him and really find out whether he was the kind, loving, funny, smart man that she had always imagined him to be from the stories that her Mama used to tell her of him, and from the magazine articles that she used to read. There was no doubt that he was her ideal man. He was the first man that she had ever really liked. And she now realized that as much as she loved Chris- her feelings for him could never really compare to what she knew in her heart that she still felt for a man that she had barely even met.

"Ethan Crane…"she found herself whispering his name. It had been a long time since she had done that. There was a time in her life when she hadn't gone more than five minutes without saying his name. "Ethan..." She felt the warmness again within her. She felt that sense of his presence, almost as if he was nearby, and that he could really hear her, as crazy as it sounded. Her tears stopped. And for a moment, she couldn't help it, but curl herself up into a ball, covered in her comforter, and talk to an invisible man she barely knew.

"Ethan- I hope you're happy, wherever you are now. Probably in Harmony right? Like the Cranes will ever let you live anywhere else." She smiled. "I hope you're happy Ethan…with Gwen Hotchkiss…because I'm not. I thought I was. But people can just surprise you in the worse way sometimes." Tears started up in her eyes again. "People that you really care about, they can just hurt you. Like you thought I was stalking you…"she wiped the tears from her eyes and closed them shut as she tried to sleep. "I wasn't stalking you Ethan," she continued to speak to him. "I just really _really_ liked you." She smiled, still with her eyes closed as she tried to picture the first time she saw him and spilled the paint on him. She tried to remember the look of absolute shock on his face as he had stood there, glaring at her, with the wet, yucky paint trickling down his face. Even then, his eyes, they had been warm, gentle, and curious. They hadn't been angry. They had glowed through the paint.

"You're the only guy I've ever really loved," she whispered. "And the funny thing is, I don't even know you. Now, aint that pathetic…" And with this, she quickly drifted off to an uneasy sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Homecoming**

Theresa stepped off the plane at Harmony airport and couldn't suppress the feelings of joy bubbling inside her. She hadn't been home since Christmas! When she had gone to New York for college, she knew that she would miss her home, her family, Whitney, and everyone in Harmony that she knew. But she hadn't realized how much. She had made good friends at FIT but nothing came close to the best friend that she had in Whitney. And if it hadn't been for Chris, she would have probably spent the whole year being extremely lonely.

Chris…she shook her head. She hadn't talked to him since that awkward incident, and she knew that she should probably call him at some point. But she just didn't want to. She was still so angry with him… he on the other hand, had left countless messages on her phone which she didn't bother to check. She already knew what he wanted to say.

Now, she was just going to put all of that drama behind her and enjoy being home for the entire summer! She couldn't wait to be with Whitney, to hang out at the wharf until late hours just watching the boats float past and the gigantic ocean. She couldn't wait to go to the Lobster Shack and the Book Café which had the best hot chocolate in the WORLD—the ones at Starbucks in New York just did not compare…And she couldn't wait to see her Mama and her brothers.

She knew that Miguel was now expecting a baby with Kay and had put off college while he worked to support his new family. Soon, he was even planning to marry her, and Theresa was certainly going to come home for that **(Note: Charity is not in the picture. She doesn't exist LOL)**. Luis had started to get really close to Sheridan Crane which was hilarious because he hated the Cranes. Theresa almost choked on her dinner the night that she was talking to her Mama and she told her the news. When her Mama also mentioned that Luis and Sheridan had met because Luis arrested her for reckless driving, Theresa burst out laughing. Leave it to Luis to ARREST a Crane and then fall in love with her! The whole scenario was so bizarre and funny and she couldn't wait to see it for herself, and even to meet Sheridan. Apparently, she was Ethan's aunt and her Mama said that she was very sweet. But thinking about Sheridan Crane naturally made her think about Ethan Crane, and she just couldn't handle the various emotions that came with those thoughts, so she tried not to think too much about Sheridan.

She was now standing in the airport, wearing a light pink spaghetti strap dress and matching pink slippers with her long brown hair left loose and framing her face. She was looking for anyone that she knew but no one seemed to be there. She had told Mama to pick her up and was confused when she didn't see her, or any of her brothers, waiting for her. How in the world was she going to get home now? Taking out her phone from her purse, she was about to dial Mama's number when she heard a soft voice behind her.

"Excuse me, Miss. Sorry, but do I know you?" Turning around, she felt her blood pressure rise several levels as the bluest eyes she had ever seen stared intensely into her own. For a moment, she could have sworn that time stopped. Nothing moved. It was absolutely quiet and all she could hear was her heart beating as Ethan Crane stood gazing at her with a confused look on his face.

There he was- the man of her dreams- wearing a well-ironed, shiny suit jacket and pants, a bright blue tie which matched his eyes perfectly, and sporting a well-cropped, wavy dirty-blonde haircut. He was actually there- staring at her! TALKING to her! Theresa didn't believe much in fate anymore. She kind of thought all that stuff was silly now and she was all grown up. But at THIS moment—with what was happening right there and then—her faith was absolutely restored in the power of fate. Did she expect to EVER interact with Ethan Crane again in her lifetime, and especially, on her FIRST day back in Harmony? No, she certainly had not. This was all Fate's doing. And all she could do was just stand there stupidly, staring at him, not being able to say a word as her heart kept beating frantically and she started praying that she wouldn't cause yet another accident around him!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: **Re-encounter—Ethan POV**

"I'm really sorry!" Ethan quickly muttered as he saw that he had probably scared her with his sudden appearance. _Dang it, I've scared her so much that she can't even talk! Good going, Ethan! What the hell was I thinking? _

_Well, you were thinking that she's the stalker that tried to hurt you MANY times a few years back. _

Ethan had first noticed her on the plane when he had walked past her to go to the bathroom. She had been staring straight ahead, headphones in her ear, apparently lost in thought as her phone lay in her lap. What caught his attention, first of all, was her physical beauty. It had been a while since he had felt himself struck so intensely by a woman's beauty.

Ever since his break up a few months ago, his love life had basically gone to the dogs. Everyone he practically knew had tried to get him to start dating again, or even to start _thinking _about dating again, but he had completely lost interest in relationships. The nightmare he had been through for the past year with Gwen when he had discovered that Gwen had been cheating on him while they were engaged, had definitely made him lose any desire in being with anyone for a very long time. Apart from love, the second most important thing to him had always been his work as a lawyer. So, now that love had become a non-issue in his life, he automatically immersed himself even deeper into his work for Crane industries, and was now overseeing most of the offices in other states, including New York where he had been this past week.

Since the abrupt break-up, he had realized that he needed a break from Harmony—to clear his head, find himself and start over again. So he had asked for more traveling jobs—and he was happy to get out every week and see new places, even if it meant that his life was mainly spent in hotel rooms now.

Throughout these trips, he had avoided getting involved with anyone—sexually, romantically, you name it. It just felt strange, after being monogamous for so long to become intimate with another woman. After all, he and Gwen had been together since high school! He wasn't even sure he knew how to flirt anymore, let alone, get a woman's attention.

Of course, some women certainly pulled all the stops to get _his_ attention. He would be in a bar, still in his shiny suit and jacket (which he could tell was a major part of the reason why some of the women approached him), and have some of them- already drunk out of their minds- start throwing themselves at him. Embarrassed by the situation, he would immediately swallow his last drink, make a weak excuse about having to wake up early for work, and leave. Of course, his rejection had nothing to do with the women. They were all beautiful and under different circumstances, he might have been interested in a few of them. But he just wasn't into flings or romance right now. That is, until he saw Theresa on the plane.

He was struck first by her beauty, but there was something else about her that made him do a double take. Something that was extremely familiar—her eyes—the way they shone, the fragile innocence that was reflected in them…it was as if her very soul could be seen merely by gazing into them. And he couldn't help but gaze into them. The moment his eyes fell on hers, he felt a force sucking him in, drawing him to her like a moth to a flame—there was absolutely nothing he could do _not _to be drawn. But he certainly was smart enough not to stand there gaping at her. That would have been creepy and probably gotten him a sexual harassment charge. So, he looked for two seconds and with more force and self-control than he could have imagined, pulled his eyes away and kept on walking to the bathroom.

When he went back to his seat, he couldn't get her out of his mind. Her face, those eyes…they were forever etched in his subconscious. That is when he knew that he _had _to get to know her. And at that moment, it also hit him like lightning that he already _did _know her. Those eyes…

"I- I thought you looked familiar. Sorry for bothering you, Miss." Feeling embarrassed, he started to turn around and walk away quickly to save himself further shame when he heard her call out his name.

"Ethan- w- wait!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Introductions**

"You know me?!" Ethan was shocked that she knew his name, and was even more convinced now that she _was _his stalker from years back. _How could she not be? _He thought. _Her eyes basically gave her away. _He felt a strong sense of disappointment with this discovery however. He had slightly been hoping that she _wouldn't _be.

"Yeah, I do. You're kind of a celebrity around here, you know?" Theresa had no idea why she had called out to him, and she was starting to regret doing so when he saw the shocked look on his face. She had yelled out his name like they were acquaintances or something. All that she prayed for was that he wouldn't recognize her from years back. But from the guarded, suspicious way that he was looking at her, she was beginning to get scared that he already knew.

Ethan was taken aback by her frank response. _Of course _she knew his name. She was obviously from Harmony. Who in Harmony didn't know the Cranes? _Maybe she is not my stalker after all, and I'm just being really paranoid, _he thought with a great sense of relief flooding him. Yeah, she really looked like the other girl, but that didn't mean that they were the same person. People looked alike sometimes. And just because her eyes seemed familiar didn't mean that it was the same girl…that was just a dumb assumption and as an attorney, he realized that. People of similar races had similar eye colors. She seemed like a nice girl, and despite the fool that he had made of himself approaching her the way that he did, she obviously wanted to keep talking to him. So, not in any rush to head back to the Crane mansion to spend the night with his parents, he decided to relax and chat with her briefly.

"Of course," he laughed in an attempt to ease the growing tension between them. "I am a local celebrity aren't I? Honored to meet you, Miss I'm sorry I don't know your name." And with this, he flashed his 100 watt blinding smile—the one that he only saved for important clients. He was flirting for the first time in years, and the funny thing is, he didn't even realize that he was. Whatever he was doing, it was all flowing naturally and unconsciously from the strong attraction that he felt to her.

Theresa could feel her knees go weak the moment he heard his laughter and saw his smile. She couldn't help but smile brightly back with every single teeth showing and her cheeks turning red. _It's going to be so obvious that I have a crush on him! _She immediately thought and made an attempt to compose herself before responding.

"My name is Theresa. Very nice to meet you, Mr. Crane." She extended her hand. Ethan took it, firmly, and shook it. At that moment, a surge of electricity shot through them. Theresa felt slightly disoriented as all she could do was stare into his eyes. Ethan felt light headed, butterflies filling his stomach for the first time in a long time.

_She is so beautiful_, he thought, unable to pull his eyes away from hers. Her perfume was intoxicating. He realized that it wasn't just her physical beauty that captivated him- there was something else about her- -something simple, innocent, mysterious- he almost felt like he had known her for years. It was half a minute later before they both let go of their hands. Another awkward silence ensued immediately as both of them couldn't really find the words to say. Finally, Ethan cleared his throat loudly and spoke.

"Very nice to meet you too, Ms. Theresa. So, you're a Harmony native I presume?"

"Yep, lived here all my life."

"Cool, what were you doing in New York?" Ethan felt his cell phone buzzing in his suit jacket pocket but he refrained from answering.

"Oh…um, yeah, I go to school in New York." Theresa couldn't stop grinning. _She was actually having a conversation with Ethan Crane_. Of all the wonderful plans that she had had for her first day back in Harmony—standing at Harmony airport having small talk with Ethan had definitely not been on the list. What made her even more giddy was the fact that Ethan seemed to be taking a lot of interest in her. She could hear his phone buzzing, but he didn't even bother to look. His eyes were solely fixed on her, and that made it much harder for her to _think_ let alone answer his questions in a coherent manner.

"Really? College or something else?" Ethan kept asking, never breaking eye contact with her and his perfect smile still in place.

"College. Just finished my freshman year."

"Oh wow, congratulations! It's a huge step, finishing freshman year. First year in college is always the hardest."

"Yeah, especially when you're away from family and friends. It was really hard, but it got better." Theresa agreed.

"Yeah I suppose it's hard if you've lived home all your life. I imagine this is your first time living outside of Harmony?"

Theresa nodded. "Yep. Never been away before."

"That is always rough. I never really knew that though because I was shipped off to boarding school when I was like 5 years old. But you probably knew that already right?"

Theresa laughed nervously. "Kind of…ok, yeah…I did."

Ethan burst out laughing. "I figured. Probably read it in a magazine?"

"Actually, my mom told me," Theresa immediately answered without thinking. The moment the words came out of her mouth though, she realized the huge impact of her words and how much what she had said would change the dynamic of the conversation.

Ethan's eyes widened as his decoding and analytical mind quickly worked to decipher the meaning behind her words, and the truth hit him like a sack of bricks. It suddenly all made sense why he felt like he had known her for ages…why she looked so familiar…why he felt this strange bond to her…how could he had not noticed before?…both women looked so much alike!

"Wait a minute, what's your last name?" He immediately asked wanting to make perfectly sure of his intuition before making any assertive statements.

_He's figured out who I am. _Theresa thought. _Yes, and exactly how long will it also take for him to figure out that you're his stalker if you keep talking to him_?Theresa tried to push the second thought away. Whatever Ethan had just realized about her—if he hadn't seen yet that she was his stalker, then she wasn't going to worry about that. But if he had, then that was just something that she was going to have to deal with. Either way, she was going to keep talking to Ethan if he wanted to keep talking. How many times, especially before going off to college, hadn't she dreamed of this moment? She definitely wasn't going to let it pass before making the best of it.

"Lopez-Fitzgerald. Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald." She tried to answer with confidence in her voice, and prayed that now that her full identity was out, things would turn out for the best between them.

"Oh my god, I can't believe it!" Ethan's smile became even wider as he shook his head in amazement. "You _are _Pilar's daughter! _You're the famous Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald. _I have heard so much about you! Trust me, you're a local celebrity here yourself."

Theresa grinned. "I am?"

"Of course, you are! Pilar has told me about you. Your brothers—Luis and Miguel right? They've talked about you. I have had people ask me at random times—'do you know Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald?' and I would be like, 'Yeah, Pilar's daughter, right? Why do you ask?' And they would just grin and not say anything." Ethan laughed, shaking his head again. "So yeah, I've heard about you. Can't believe I'm finally meeting you though! Didn't realize you were off in college."

Theresa felt her face was going to be stuck in a grinning posture forever. _Wow, now that he knows who I am, this is going really well, _she thought excitedly. There was a time when she had considered disguising herself in order to work in the Crane mansion so that Ethan wouldn't recognize her as the person whom he thought was stalking him. And now, here he was, excited to see her and oblivious to the brief past that they shared together.

"Wow, I can't believe you've heard that much about me!"

"Yes I have. It's a small world here in Harmony, isn't it? I mean, I feel like I almost know you! Anyway, it's great to finally meet you."

_Wow, I'm attracted to Pilar's daughter…who's ridiculously beautiful and probably has a boyfriend…scratch that—DEFINITELY has a boyfriend… how could any guy not want to date her? _He thought. He immediately realized- with slight disappointment- that he was going to have to get over his sudden attraction to her really quickly. He loved Pilar like his own mother and respected her a great deal. The last thing he wanted was to hurt any member of her family in any way, and if he knew anything about relationships from his experience with Gwen, it was that they were filled with a lot of mess and hurt. One day, you think things are wonderful and that you have found your soulmate. The next day, all hell starts breaking loose. He wasn't going to jeopardize his warm relationship with Pilar and her family, and that meant _not _getting himself emotionally involved with Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald. He could always say hi and bye to her, and even engage in small talk with her if he saw her around of course. But he wasn't going to pursue her if she was single—which he was pretty sure that she wasn't. Not to mention the fact that she was slightly on the younger side. He had heard the stories of his family's reputation from none other than his own father, Julian- Crane men taking advantage of young women. He would of course, never take advantage of anyone, but he certainly didn't want his father, or anyone else, to assume something like that if he was to start dating Theresa. So he simply decided right there and then, not to go that route.

"Well, I have to go now," he said, finally taking out his phone and glancing at the time. They had been talking for 20 minutes and his father had been trying to get ahold of him all that time. _Probably about business and it definitely seems urgent_- he thought, staring at the 6 missed calls from Julian Crane. "Yeah, I should get going." He muttered to himself.

"Sure, no problem." Theresa responded. "Maybe I'll see you around? You…and Gwen- could probably stop by for dinner at our house sometime. I'm sure Mama wouldn't mind." She hated including Gwen in that invitation, but she figured that if the guy was married, it would be extremely rude, not to mention suspicious, if she didn't include his wife.

Ethan almost dropped his phone when he heard her. His smile quickly fading, he cleared his throat again, and crisply stated, "I-I'm not with Gwen anymore."

_What? _Theresa couldn't believe her ears as she felt an immense hope filling her. After years of dreaming about being Mrs. Ethan Crane—she remembered sketching numerous pictures of her wedding dress and how she and Ethan would look like on that fateful day—here she was, closer than she had ever been to that dream becoming a reality. Ethan was no longer with Gwen! How in the world had that happened?! Last she had heard, they were engaged to be married! That was when she had lost all hope, and moved on completely from her Ethan obsession…

"Wow, sorry, I-I never knew that…"she muttered weakly, her mouth opened in complete shock.

"It's ok." Ethan gave a weak smile. "You were away, so I'll forgive you for not knowing this one. But now that you're back Ms. Lopez-Fitzgerald, I expect you to catch up stat on everything that you've missed concerning me."

Theresa laughed.

"There will be a test, every week. Whoever fails gets booted out of Harmony. So, you see, you have to get cracking. No summer vacation for you after all..."

"I suppose not, Mr. Crane," she grinned widely.

"God, call me Ethan, please. No more 'Mr. Crane.' I get that enough as it is."

"Sure," Theresa didn't think he could be any more perfect or cute than he was at that moment. She would have married him right there and then if she could.

"And please, call me Resa," she suggested. "That's what everybody close to me calls me."

"That's a beautiful nickname. And we just met, but thanks for including me in your close circle. Very honored, Resa, and once again, very nice to meet you." He said, formally extending his hand to her again for another handshake. They shook hands and once again time stood still as the contact immediately generated a jolt of electricity through them. Her luminous eyes seemed to reel him in, and once again, he felt hypnotized. It took him a great effort, just as it had when he had first seen her on the plane, to break eye contact and force himself to become normal again. _God, I have to get a hold of myself around her. _He thought. If merely touching her palm was turning his world upside down, he couldn't imagine what would result if he went further…his eyes immediately traveled to her lips. _Snap out of it Ethan! _He told himself, and then clearing his throat, again, he spoke.

"Well, bye Resa. And I might just take you up on that offer. Your mother's cooking is amazing! I have very fond childhood memories of it. Are you a good cook as well?"

"I try. Nowhere near my mom's though."

"Well, you know what, why don't you take my number, and then let me know when you and Pilar cook—cos you have to cook something too since you invited me—"

"Oh really-"

"Yep, you do. Sorry, but you do-" They both started laughing. "Yeah, so just call me when this grand feast happens, and I'm sure I can whip something up myself and bring it over. It can be a potluck."

"Wait, you cook?!" Theresa couldn't believe that he could be any more perfect.

"Well, um, I buy—there's a huge difference—"

Theresa giggled.

"But, we'll just keep that between us that day right?"

"Sure." She nodded grinning.

"Ok, well, so here is my number." He showed his number to Theresa who quickly copied them onto her phone.

"So I'll see you around Resa." He said with a wide smile.

"See you, Ethan." They shook hands, once again feeling the deep, unexplainable connection between them. And then, he walked away.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Mama**

_I met Ethan Crane! I spoke to him! I actually have Ethan Crane's number! What in the world?! _Theresa was stupefied. Absolutely shocked. She stood there for what seemed like hours glancing at the ten-digit number on her phone with Ethan's magical name written above it. How could everything she had ever dreamed of occurred in the matter of a few minutes on a random Spring day? She briefly reflected on the recent events that she had just endured- Chris' almost-rape; her "conversation" with an invisible Ethan when she was crying herself to sleep on her bed; and now her _actual _conversation with the real Ethan who is apparently single! _What in the world happened between him and Gwen?! How come Mama told her nothing about this?! _She made sure to call her Mama every week to catch up on her loved ones in Harmony and any local small-town gossip. But her Mama had _never _mentioned Gwen and Ethan breaking up. _Probably because she didn't want me to start mooning over Ethan again, _Theresa thought. Because that's probably what would have happened. Her Mama knew that she and Chris were happy. She probably didn't want to ruin their relationship with promising news about Ethan.

But news or no news, here she was almost as if Fate or God had planned things just so she and Ethan could have this one moment together, and for them to actually embark on a friendship. She was surprised how familiar and warm he had been towards her. She was sure that's not exactly how he interacted with every girl in Harmony. I mean, since he was a Crane, pretty much every local girl that Theresa knew had a crush on the guy and probably tried to get his attention one way or another. How many of them had his personal number?

Still shaking her head in unbelief, she almost jumped out of her skin when she felt her phone vibrating in her hand. It was Miguel. _Oh yeah, I still need to get out of here. Where in the world is my family?! _She picked up the call. "Hello, Miguel?"

"Omg, Sis, are you back?!"

"Um, yeah, I've been back for like an hour now. I'm stuck in Harmony airport though which isn't the most pleasant place especially since I'm starving and miss my bed…who's picking me up? I thought Mama was coming."

There was a nervous silence for a moment before Miguel finally spoke.

"Resa, you didn't get my voicemail?"

"Um," she had assumed they were all from Chris and so she hadn't checked. "No, you called me earlier?"

"Yeah, but you were in the air so it went straight to voicemail. Resa, Mama, Mama's in the hospital now."

"Wait, WHAT?!" Theresa felt faint all of a sudden.

"Don't worry. She's not like dying or anything."

"But Miguel, what happened?! I spoke with her yesterday. Everything was fine!" She could swear her heart was going to pop out of her chest. It was beating so hard.

"Yeah, it just happened like a couple of hours ago. She was working as usual…"

"At the Cranes?"

"Yeah. So she was working, and then, well according to Ivy Crane, she just fainted. Like the two of them were talking, and then she just fainted. When Ivy tried to wake her up, she wouldn't budge."

"Oh my God, Miguel-" tears had welled up in her eyes now. She looked for a seat and sat down with her face in her palm In a frantic attempt to hide her tears from people passing by.

"Resa, let me finish ok? It's not as crazy as you're probably thinking. Look, she's awake now. They called 911 and took her to the hospital. Dr. Russell says for the most part, everything's fine, but they're still doing tests to try and figure out what happened to her. Anyways, Luis is with her now, and I'm on my way now to pick you up. But yeah that's what's going on. Sorry for picking you up so late, Sis."

"Miguel, I just want to see Mama…" Mama was her everything. She didn't know what she would do without her. She knew she was nowhere near being the perfect daughter, but her mother was certainly perfect. She thought of all those times that her mother had been there to encourage her, to comfort her, to wipe away her tears when she would try something and fail or fight so hard for something only to get burned…she was a crazy, stubborn girl and she rarely ever listened to her Mama's advice. But every single time in high school when she would come back after making yet another stupid decision (like not studying for the biggest exam of the year, or choosing to fight with Emily Stein who was always picking on Whit, instead of keeping her cool and reporting her to the principal- she got suspended for two days because of that), her Mama would never give her the "I told you so" treatment. She would hug her, tell her how much she loved her little Teresita, and sitting her down calmly explain to her why what she did was wrong. She was who she was now because of her mother's love. The thought of Mama not always being there for them, or being sick, terrified her. Mama was never sick. Not once had she ever seen her weak in that aspect. This was the first time she was hearing of her Mama in a hospital. And it scared her.

More tears trickled down her cheeks as she held the phone tightly to her ear and struggled to hear Miguel's words. It kept cutting off probably because of the bad reception wherever he was driving.

"Yeah – worry- going – straight - hospital. You will see Mama, ok? Resa?! Can you hear me?!"

"Yeah, I-I can hear you." Her voice was shaking. "Miguel, are- are you almost here? I just, I just want to leave this place."

"Yeah I'm ten minutes away. Just bring your stuff outside of the terminal and I'll meet you right outside ok?"

"Ok." She tried to stand up and realized she couldn't. She felt so weak all of a sudden.

"Ok, im going to hang up now Resa, I don't want to get a ticket. I'll be there soon ok?"

"Ok."

She hung up, and even though she knew she should start moving her bags out of the terminal, she kept sitting, staring blankly at her lap. How could life be so crazy? One second _everything _was going wonderfully, and the next moment her whole life was falling apart. Miguel said they were doing tests…which means they didn;'t know why her mother fainted. What if it happened again? What if she had some terrible disease? What if she lost her mother…forever? What if…?

_No, no. I need to stop doing this! _She shook her head sharply, wiped her tears with the back of her hand, and stood up, grabbing her bags. _Everything's going to be fine. God will take care of Mama. He always has. NO ONE in Harmony prays more than Mama. Nothing is going to happen to her. I need to stop thinking negative! _

After all, hadn't her Mama always told her, in Spanish of course, "the more negative you think, the more negative your life becomes, Teresita!" She would roll her eyes back then, whenever she would hear Mama say that. But now she appreciated the strong wisdom in her Mama's words. How many times hadn't her life gone negative only because of the way she perceived the situation in her life? She knew she had to be strong for Mama. She wasn't a little girl anymore. Her younger sister, Paloma, was still in Mexico and Miguel had already moved out of the house with Kay. Luis would probably soon be moving out too now that he and Sheridan were together. Soon, she would be the only one that Mama had left who was still hanging around the house when not in school. She couldn't let Mama think she was a little wimp that couldn't handle some little sickness. She had to be strong for her and for the rest of the family.

Sighing, she slowly wheeled her bags out of the terminal and stood outside in the glow of the soft May sun as it slowly drifted its way to set in the west amidst an array of bright orange streaks. Looking up at the beautiful sky, she whispered a simple prayer. _God, please don't let anything happen to my Mama. I'll give up anything- anything—even Ethan—if it means my Mama will be fine. Please let her be fine. She's all that I have. _

Wiping another tear from her cheek, she made the Sign of the Cross, and waited for her brother to arrive.

**Next Chapter:**

**Ethan POV. What happens when he returns to the mansion? Why is Julian frantically calling him? **


End file.
